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Lakers, Pistons and Celtics: The Championship-Caliber Contracts of 1985-1989

By N.B. Lindberg

LOS ANGELES, CA - May 1988: Kareem-Abdul Jabbar #33, head Coach Pat Riley, James Worthy #42, owner Jerry Buss and Mychal Thompson #43 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate in the locker room after defeating the Detroit Pistons in the 1988 NBA Finals, at The Forum, Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - May 1988: Kareem-Abdul Jabbar #33, head Coach Pat Riley, James Worthy #42, owner Jerry Buss and Mychal Thompson #43 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate in the locker room after defeating the Detroit Pistons in the 1988 NBA Finals, at The Forum, Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

1989 NBA Champion: Detriot Pistons
League Salary Cap: $7,232,000
Championship-Caliber Contract: Joe Dumars & Bill Laimbeer

The “Bad Boy” Pistons are remembered as Isiah Thomas’s team but when it comes to Win Shares he never graded out well. This might cause some to call into question the validity of Win Shares as a statistic, but Thomas had a trend of posting better Win Share per 48 numbers in the playoffs than in the regular season. Thomas was a great player, who has become overrated because he was a stud in the playoffs. No shame in that but it’s why he doesn’t factor into the championship-caliber contract discussion.

Joe Dumars produced 9.1 Win Shares for the low-low cost of $400,000. His contract took up 5.5 percent of the salary cap, while he produced $1.579 million in value, 21.8 percent of the cap. Not to be outdone, Bill Laimbeer racked up 10.6 Win Shares at only $630,000. His contract took up 8.7 percent of the cap and his production was worth $1.839 million in value, 25.4 percent of the salary cap.

The surplus value that Dumars and Laimbeer produced went a long way in powering the Pistons to the NBA’s best record and a 4-0 sweep to claim revenge over the Lakers. These Pistons teams were loaded with awesome contracts and it’s why they were able to end the Celtics run of dominance in the East, knock off the Lakers, and hold Michael Jordan and the Bulls at bay.

In its first five years, the salary-cap grew from $3.6 million to $7.232 million. The steady growth of the cap has been a boon for NBA players but also NBA executives. In 1985 James Worthy made $400,000 just as Joe Dumars did in 1989. However, Worthy’s contract took up 11.1 percent of the salary-cap, while  Dumars came in at a paltry 5.5 percent.

This trend has led NBA stars to seek shorter contracts than their counterparts in baseball and has sparked NBA GM’s to be aggressive with extensions. Championship-caliber contracts are how dynasties are formed and championships are won. As we’ll see, the history of the NBA has not been written by the best players but by the players who have had paid least in accordance of their talents.

Next. 50 greatest players in NBA history. dark